Termites are wood feeding insects that live in large social colonies, similar to honeybees and ants. In forests, termite colonies play an important role in nature by feeding on decaying wood found on the soil floor. Formosan termites are also different from native species in that they will infest living trees at a higher rate than their native counterparts. Many species of trees ranging from pine to live oak trees have been infested with this species of termites.
Formosan termites feed on the hardwood, the dead center of a tree, and can end up leaving the tree hollow. After hollowing out the tree, the termites will fill in the hollowed-out area with nesting material. The hollowed-out trees are more susceptible to falling from wind damage during heavy storms.
In New Orleans, La., 75% of trees that fall after hurricanes are found to have fallen due to Formosan termite-related damage. Considering that up to 100% of the trees in certain areas of New Orleans have been found to be infested with these termites, the structural integrity of many of these trees would be in question if a heavy storm were to pass through the city. Jacksonville, Fla. has recently discovered that many of the trees in the Riverside community area of Jacksonville have Formosan termite activity as well. Measures are being taken in Jacksonville to work with pest control companies to help manage these termite infestations on public property.
Additionally, there have been several reports of Formosan termites infesting living trees in Leon County. Many of the trees in the area are at risk, including the historic live oak trees found throughout the county. During Hurricane Hermine, many homeowners in Leon County experienced first-hand the damage that falling trees can cause. Since these termites can increase the likelihood that infested trees will fall over in a storm, the spread of these termites into the live tree fauna of Leon County could lead to increased property damage in any future heavy storm event. Attempts have been made to use capacitance sensors to detect and trap pests, such as U.S. Pat. No. 6,937,156 to Gardner, Jr. et al., however, no system has been devised to detect pests or damage from infestation in a living system.
With this significant problem, however, no effective solution exists for detecting pests within trees and other living systems. Accordingly, what is needed is a system and methodology for detecting and/or controlling pests in living systems, such as termites in trees in order to be better prepared for heavy storm events in the future. However, in view of the art considered as a whole at the time the present invention was made, it was not obvious to those of ordinary skill in the field of this invention how the shortcomings of the prior art could be overcome.
While certain aspects of conventional technologies have been discussed to facilitate disclosure of the invention, Applicants in no way disclaim these technical aspects, and it is contemplated that the claimed invention may encompass one or more of the conventional technical aspects discussed herein.
The present invention may address one or more of the problems and deficiencies of the prior art discussed above. However, it is contemplated that the invention may prove useful in addressing other problems and deficiencies in a number of technical areas. Therefore, the claimed invention should not necessarily be construed as limited to addressing any of the particular problems or deficiencies discussed herein.
In this specification, where a document, act or item of knowledge is referred to or discussed, this reference or discussion is not an admission that the document, act or item of knowledge or any combination thereof was at the priority date, publicly available, known to the public, part of common general knowledge, or otherwise constitutes prior art under the applicable statutory provisions; or is known to be relevant to an attempt to solve any problem with which this specification is concerned.